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February is National Canned Food Month. Did you know that more than 3,000 kinds of foods are canned for the American market? Billions of cans are sold every year and the variety is surprising. Over 50 kinds of beans, 85 kinds of juices, 130 vegetables products and 125 varieties of soups. For produce, for example, the process begins when the freshly harvested vegetables arrive at the cannery. After being washed and trimmed, the food is blanched to keep its flavor and texture and to neutralize enzymes (microscopic bugs!) that cause spoilage, then packed in steel cans, vacuum sealed and cooked. When the cans have cooled, they are labeled, cased and sent on their way. Many foods are canned without preservatives, and most will keep their quality for two years or more, if stored in a cool, dry place.

I recently read about a naval expedition, back in 1824, that had to abandon one of its ships because it had become icebound, along with a large amount of canned goods. Some four years later, a second expedition running dangerously short of food was able to survive by using the canned supplies, which, luckily, had not gone bad. An unopened can was saved by the leader and brought to London's Science Museum until 1838, a brave crew of taste explorers opened it and found the contents "quite like recently cooked veal" after 114 years! Can you believe it? They put the empty can back on the shelf and it's still there. I really like to can fruits and veggies but I don't think I would keep a can that long. Best scenario... I wouldn't be here to check it out and neither would any of our kids or grand-kids!

These are all casserole dishes, made using some canned foods.

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WESTERN CASSEROLE

1 lb. lean ground beef

1-16 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained

1-16 oz. can red kidney beans, drained

1 can tomato soup

1 c. shredded, process American cheese

1/4 c. milk

1 t. instant minced onion or 2 t. fresh minced onion

1/2 t. chili powder

1 pkg. refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)

2 T. butter or margarine, melted

1/4 c. yellow cornmeal

Brown beef in skillet. Stir in next 7 ingredients; bring to boil. Turn mixture into a 2 qt. casserole. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Dip biscuits in melted butter, then cornmeal. Place around edge of boiling hot casserole mixture. Bake 20 minutes longer or till biscuits are golden.

Makes 5 or 6 servings.

Note: If you wish, you can leave out the biscuits; bake the casserole a total of 20 minutes. Serve with French bread, popovers or a muffin. Also, if making popovers, the temp. for popovers is the same as the casserole (in my recipe that is). What a good supper!

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ORIENTAL RICE

CASSEROLE

1 lb. ground beef

1 c. each, diced celery and diced onion

1-4 oz. can mushrooms, drained (can use 1-1/2 c. fresh chopped mushrooms)

1-8 oz. can each, sliced water chestnuts and bamboo shoots, drained

1/3 c. soy sauce (I use "lite")

1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup

2 t. beef bouillon granules or 2 cubes dissolved in hot water I use "no sodium" bouillon (Herb Ox brand)

3/4 c. uncooked white or brown rice*

Chow mein noodles

In a large skillet, brown beef; drain off excess fat. Mix in rest of ingredients, except chow mein noodles and turn into a 9x13-inch baking pan or 3 qt. casserole. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Spread a layer of chow main noodles over top and continue baking for 10 minutes.

Serves 8-10

Note: You can serve additional noodles if you wish. * If you use brown rice in this recipe, pre-cook it about 20 minutes as you probably know, brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice.

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GLORIFIED CHICKEN BAKE

2 lbs., chicken parts

1 T. butter or margarine, melted

1 can cream of chicken & broccoli or cream of chicken soup

1-4 oz. can mushrooms, drained and coarsely chopped

In a 2 qt. oblong baking dish, arrange chicken. Drizzle with margarine. In a bowl combine soup and mushrooms; set aside. Bake chicken at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Spoon soup mixture over chicken and bake 25-30 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken to serving platter; serve with sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

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CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

1 can cream of chicken soup

2-5 oz. cans chunk white chicken or 1-1/2 c. cooked chopped chicken

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (be sure to wear rubber gloves when cutting peppers)

8 flour tortillas (8-inches each)

Salsa and sour cream

Combine soup, chicken, 1/2 c. of cheese and pepper. Top half of each tortilla with 1/4 c. mixture; spread to within 1/2-inch of edge. Moisten edges of tortilla with water; fold over and press to seal. On two baking sheets, arrange tortillas. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with rest of cheese. Top with salsa and sour cream if you wish.

Makes 8 tortillas or 4 servings.

TFD: A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

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